Still here...

[Magnum]

Hello everyone. I'm still here. This is the end of 8 weeks at 24mcg Infergen and 1200 Ribavirin daily. I've had some very bad side effects, then felt better on a few other days. This treatment is very brutal but maybe I’m starting to acclimate somewhat. I'm staying up more now, but get suddenly very sick, out of nowhere. Many of my favorite foods are now very unappealing and I eat a lot of pasta with just butter sauce, and rice. Greasy foods give me dry heaves, so no spicy chicken wings and other similar things.

I have a lot of pimples on my tongue which really hurt. Listerine helps, but when you first gargle, it's torturous. I also scratch everywhere and looks like I've been shot by a shotgun. There are small scabs all over my chest, back, arms and legs, from where I've been scratching. The dermatologist will give me some topical cortisone cream Monday.

In four more weeks, I will be at 12 weeks and the doctor feels I'll be undetectable. However, I will have to continue treatment, albeit at a lower dosage, for eight more months.

As a word of encouragement for those thinking about getting on Infergen. My hair is NOT falling out like as with the traditional treatments. I also feel you should be encouraged by themy amazing drop in viral count after 4 weeks,

The one factor about keeping your mind from exploding with violence and temper tantrums, is to avoid weird people, people who are confrontational, and pull back from wanting to rail at people.

I will post results after 12 weeks, Go ahead and use this thread for whatever you want. I'm still here...

Magnum

[amirtracy]

I'm glad you're still here. You're amazing.

[Mister beagle bailey]

So glad to see you here.  Was wondering what happened to you.  Your having bad sx's, just hang in there.  here are some things that may help as they helped me.

For your skin try the GOLD BOND TRIPLE ACTION LOTION, there's a green bottle and yellow bottle.  I bought the green because it's extra strength, it has helped many here.

For the pimples in your mouth, try PEROXYL BY COLGATE, in 3 days mine were gone.  It's a antiseptic oral cleanser, I hope this works for you.

I do 12 week PCR in 2 weeks, can't wait to see how I did.  Didn't do 4 week PCR because ins. will only pay for one or the other so Doc and I choose week 12.

Stay well my friend and think of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Beagle

[harty29]

I'm somone what new to the site so could someone tell me the difference between interferon and interfergen.

[Fisheress]

Sorry Magnum, hate to jump on your thread but there were no new post left and I really needed to say this and ask a question....

HAPPY B'DAY TO ME
HAPPY B'DAY TO ME
HAPPY b'DAY...I'M NEGATIVE
HAPPY B'DAY TO ME!!!

HEHEHEHE 24 WEEKS PCR!  WOOHOO!

HGB  11.4  (down a lil)
HCT  34.5 (whats that?) range is 35.0  47.0
WBC  3.63  (down a lil?) range   3.50  11.10
Thyroid good
What is Uric Acid? 6.8   range   2.2-   6.4

Now the question...My coordinator asked if I have been drinking which is no!!!  ABSOUTLY NOT! He said that my Alt was 47 and AST 46
Don't know what to say for him to beleive me!  Why would they be so high?  Will they come down during this second half of tx?

What is everyones thoughts on this?

Thanks,
Fisheress

[harty29]

I finally got the Gold Bond (green bottle, red cap) on the recommendation of people here.  It's only been a few days and so far I consider it a life saver.  Since I also have on and off mouth sores and some hair loss my next experiments will be with the Peroxyl (Thanks Mr BB) and the Nioxin Shampoo (Thanks NY girl).  I should say thanks to everyone here.  I've gotten more help and useful advice here than I ever got from my doctor (and I think she's great).  I remember my doctor asking if I wanted the names of some support groups.  (I could barely get up and go to work never mind a meeting anywhere!).  I'm going to recommend she give this website out as a support group alternative.  If for no other reason than to hear how positive most of you are while going through treatment.  It really is an incentive to keep up the tx.

[Mister beagle bailey]

That is great news, CONGRATULATONS!!!!!!!


About the AST and ALT-- From what I've seen posted here.  Many things can cause this, if I remember right even the foods you eat can do it.

Beagle

[GoofyDad]

<i>I'm going to recommend she give this website out</i>

Uh-oh. Company's coming. Can-do, better clean up your tissues.

<i>my Alt was 47 and AST 46 ....Why would they be so high?</i>

5 will get you 10 it's inflamation (inflammation) caused by the meds. I wouldn't personally expect them to drop till after tx, nor would I care much. I think your coordinator's been drinking.

[fishdoc]

good name by the way.  SSooo verry verry awesome, actually my big 50 is coming up, and for once, I'd like a birthday whoopee like yours!!  

OK hate to go back to chickens... but, you know that white spot in the middle of the green glob of chickenhockey??  Well thats chicken hockey too... but its also uric acid.  Uric acid I THINK, I'm not gonna look up, too tired, is the nasty little beast responsible for GOUT- crystalizes in the joints... and that used to be attributable (gad is that spelled right) to "rich lifestyles", as in excess libations and rich food.

[Forseegood]

hearty congrats! you've earned it!

[fishdoc]

OK yall know I had a bad week, so I haven't read all threads, but did Dyce start???  What happened to Snook??? How is his dad?  I feel like theres a soap I'm gettin hooked on and I was gone for a week....

You know there ARE a lot of fishsss,, so is snook the fish or a pool shark...

OK, curiousity killed the cat... but genedog, I have been known as a geljockey, ring a bell???

Rearfang, we talking heterodon nasicus here??

[Bill1954]

Congratulations on your 24 week results! The elevated liver enzymes can be due to a number of factors, alcohol being only one of them. For example, after 54 weeks of treatment, my AST/ALT are still 58/93. Although down from a baseline in the 300’s, they have never normalized. My doctor suspects a little fatty liver (hepatic steatosis) at play here, and tells me not to be too concerned at this time. I would think if your team was really concerned that you were drinking, they would run a GGT test (GGT tends to be a more alcohol-specific test).  

As far as the increased uric acid, take a peek at the following article--

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003476.htm

Excess uric acid is the primary cause of gout (ouch!) and can be caused by alcohol consumption, along with a host of other issues.

Again, neither elevated liver enzymes nor excessive uric acid are specific to alcohol consumption, so if you’re not drinking, by all means, hold your ground! The important thing to remember is your viral response; take that and run with it!!

Best of luck to you,

Bill

[Mister beagle bailey]

Good question, Dyce was to start tx last week but have not heard.

Dyce if your out there post and let us know how you are.

Hope the rest are doing well too.

  Beagle

[Bill1954]

Peg-Interferon is the current standard of care Rx for treatment naive HCV patients. Infergen (also known as consensus interferon, CIFN) is a synthetic interferon that supposedly combines the best attributes of Interferon alpha 2a and 2b. It is not generally indicated for first time treatment, and is thought to have more severe side effects. In addition, it has not formally been approved for combo use with ribavirin, making it technically off label for combo use. Many doctors feel that Infergen may be a superior med for hard-to-treat populations; however it is also not currently available in pegylated form. I hope this answers your question,

Bill

[Bill1954]

Wow, that’s a lot of Infergen! I was reading a study from ‘03 that discussed high-dose Infergen mono-therapy as being 15 mcg/day. Boy, 24 mcg must be kicking your butt! I hope this one does the trick for you,

Bill

[Fisheress]

Thanks for the link to the artical.  My diet really has not changed or my appitite since starting tx.  Usally fish, pork, lots of chicken (all grilled) and if we have a steak, I eat a very very small portion.  We always have fresh vegs w/dinner too.  In the mornings I have my oatmeal cereal to take my meds along with a lil yogurt.

Now what else can I do to change my diet?  I want to do everything possible to make this work and have been VERY complient.  As a mattter of fact, I am almost obsessive to make sure I get my meals and meds on time.  So what can I do to bring down the Uric Acid?

Today was a VERY NICE day. Rog left for work and returned an hour later w/a friend of mine that is a professional massuse(*spelling).  LOL I was not even out of my jammies yet!  She set up her table in my bedroom, drew the curtains, lit candles and put on a very soft CD.  HOUR LONG massage!  IT WAS WONDERFUL!  ahhhhhhh, can't wait to have her back!  It really was nice to have Rog do that for me and in the privacy of my own home!  Then went and picked up Brother and we took a drive down to Galveston.  Was a nice day for it and he had not been there in 18 years.  Got home, Bud and Rog cooked me dinner and now I have a Lawlers chocolate carmel, topped w/nuts cheese cake waiting on me!  WANT A PIECE?  Yummy for the Tummy!
Fisheress (the spoiled one for the day!)

[Forseegood]

I'm glad youre still here as well...good on you..hope you feel better and better...

[can-do-man]

Way to go girl, a great big hug from your pool boy. (hint hint)
Clear swiming from here on out. If i was you i'd invite all them gf's over for one big pool party. (bathing suits not needed).

Really though so happy to hear your news tonight. needed it.

[Bill1954]

Hey there, spoiled one! Chocolate-caramel cheesecake? I’ll drive, no, jog right on over from Sacramento. Sounds as though Rog is a keeper, eh? (Maybe it’s the (o)(o) sunbathing), LOL!

Check with your doc; however I wouldn’t personally concern myself with an increased uric acid reading, especially if it’s isolated. If it were me, I think I’d keep an eye on it through treatment, if it doesn’t resolve six months post Tx, you might want to consider medication/diet change. I believe gout occurs rather slowly, you should have time here before the acid begins to crystallize in your joints and cause any discomfort. If you like, browse this addy;

http://tinyurl.com/f43ag


Save me a bite of cheesecake, and enjoy your PCR results--

Bill

[imbetternow]

I din't realize there is a 24mcg Infergen. I thought I was taking the strongest at 15mcg daily-.5mL.

Yeah, some days it comes on you and others are really not too bad. Do some oatmeal in the morning, banana and keep a half peanut butter sandwich in your pocket! Do a Yoplait Smoothie in the morning also. If you can get into a routine by eating these daily in the morning, you may have fewer days with no appetite.
Do small meals all day if you can.

Those spots hurt. They come and go and can show up on the tounge, cheek or throat. You can do the mouthwash but many contain alcohol which will dry your mouth out even more letting "mr bac" have his way.

One thing that helped me is OJ. I can drink some OJ at night and it creates slime to help keep my mouth moist.

Infergen kicks butt and I pray it does the job for you. Remember the good days when you feel crappy. Tx will be over one day.

Wes

[Fisheress]

hmmmmmmmmm, now that piece of cheese cake can cause a case of gout!  Woowee, that was rich!  Now I guess the swim suits are out anyway, don't think I could fit into it right now anyway after that dessert!

Hey Bill, yea, you just jog right on over, I am saving a piece of this lutacrist cheese cake for ya!.  I'll leave the light on for ya too! hehehe

Thanks all for your comments on my test results. You all are truly amazing, knowledable and very much appreciated. Now Gonna head to the bed and let Rog rub my full B'day tummy!

All my best to you all!
Fisheress

[Forseegood]

ha ha, that was a perfect way to end that sex thread....

[GoofyDad]

I was given < href="http://www.clobex.com/">Clobex Lotion</a> by my dematologist. A steroid lotion that really seems to do the trick. She likes to knock the stuff down quick - and this seems to do just that.

Hope things continue to improve, even if it is marginal. Hang in there.

[GoofyDad]

Sorry. <a href="http://www.clobex.com/">Here's a better Clobex Link</a>.

[mikesimon]

Magnum, nice to see you again. I had tongue problems too all through TX.
Fisheress, congratulations and watch your diet cause gout hurts.
Mike

[NYgirl]

Going to find this

the pimples in your mouth, try PEROXYL BY COLGATE, in 3 days mine were gone.

Tonight.  I actually tried straight peroxide on a q-tip they are bothering me so bad!

[beamishboy]

Mag-good to know yu are still hangin tuff-"avoid wierd people": no wonder yu don't visit US often!! seriously good advice,got no time or patience for thenavel-gazing neurotics just now.......GOODLUCK
Fish-great news on 24 wk;nice to hear your being Treated so well by family-now,if they could just continue same your trx will be a 'vacation'......bro sounds so much bettr too-all good news!!!!!!

[Dale_Ray]

Tonight I will be at shot 15 or 48 but up until about week 11 or 12 I had every side affect you mentioned plus about another 100 I just made up. Usually two to three heart attacks per day in my mind. I can say that the days have gotten better and at least for the past two weeks I feel like I'm gonna make it through. Of course by tomorrow you may see me on a new episode of Cops. I stay as far away from irritating people as possible. I refuse to cell them space in my head at this point. Your getting close and a lot of the stuff will disappear. My favorite part is that I can taste food again and the burping has gone away. Good luck to ya and let us know at 12 weeks. Dale

[Mister beagle bailey]

Try it, in three days it was gone.  Hope you have the same results I had.

Did Bailey leave with your Mom yet?  How is every thing else?

      Beagle

[Magnum]

Thank you and all others for your advice and help. Today is an example of a horrible day. I forced myself to get up and read emails, but it is a day I will spend in bed. The nausea is the main culprit. Pills don't help much. Medicinal Marijuana helps, but it takes a long time and I can't smoke all day and night. Can I? I don't like living in a haze.

I hope we all clear soon. I have to go suffer now...

Magnum

[strator]

magnum--you are so awesome. I hadda laugh the way you said 'I'm still her' at the beginning and the end..like that cell phone guy-can ya hear me now. Nothin I'd like more for ya then to hear you say...'I'm still here, and I'm clear.'

Fisheress--hey what's with the little woohoo...
WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Who says ya can't have your cake and beat this too!

Hope you both have wonderful peaceful days,
Don